nonrenewable resources
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Nonrenewable Resources. Section 4.1. Nonrenewable Resource. Takes millions of years to form and accumulate Nonrenewable metals include iron, copper, uranium and gold - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Nonrenewable ResourcesSection 4.1
Nonrenewable Resource Takes millions of years to form and
accumulate Nonrenewable metals include iron,
copper, uranium and gold Fun Fact: 6% of the world’s
population lives in the US, but we use 30% of the world’s annual production of mineral and energy resources
Fossil Fuels A fossil fuel is any hydrocarbon that
may be used as a source of energy Fossil Fuels include coal, oil and
natural gas
Fossil Fuel Formation Formed from prehistoric plants and
animals that lived hundreds of millions of years ago
During the millions of years that passed, the dead plants and animals slowly decomposed into organic materials
Different types of fossil fuels were formed depending on what combination of animal and plant debris was present, how long the material was buried, and what conditions of temperature and pressure existed when they were decomposing
Fossil Fuel: Coal Coal was formed millions of years ago
when Earth was covered with swamps. Plants died, becoming covered with dirt and water. The weight of the top layers (heat and pressure) produced chemical and physical changes in the layers, causing the formation of coal.
Stages of Coal Formation1. Peat, partially decayed plant
material2. Peat becomes lignite (brown coal),
a sedimentary rock3. Lignite becomes bituminous coal
(soft coal), a sedimentary rock4. Bituminous coal becomes
anthracite (hard coal), a metamorphic rock
Coal Disadvantages Even though coal is abundant, the
recovery and use present problems› Surface mining scars the land› Underground mining has costly health
problems and can cause death› Burning coal creates air pollution, that
can lead to acid rain
Oil and Natural Gas Formation Oil (petroleum) and natural gas were
created from organisms that lived in the water and were buried under ocean or river sediments.
Ocean floor sediments protected the remains from decay and oxidation
Chemical reactions transformed the remains into the liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons
Oil (Petroleum
)Advantages
Disadvantages
Easy to burn/use Can be used in a variety of
processes to create energy Inexpensive Easy to transport Burning of oil releases carbon
dioxide into the air (causing the formation of the greenhouse gases and/or acid rain)
Oil spills from tanker ships have caused extensive damage to ocean ecosystems
Natural G
asAdvantages
Disadvantages
More environment friendly than oil or coal because it produces fewer emissions
Can be safely stored and burned Transportation of the gas is easy
through pipelines Highly flammable Naturally colorless and odorless
– dangerous if there is a leak Constructing and managing
transportation pipelines costs a lot
Nuclear EnergyNuclear fission uses uranium to create energy
›In nuclear fission, uranium-235 are split into smaller nuclei and emit neutrons and heat energy
Nuclear Energy Advantages Nuclear reactions release more
energy compared to hydro or wind energy
No greenhouse gases are released during nuclear reaction
Small amounts of uranium are needed to generate a large amount of energy
Inexpensive and easy to transport
Nuclear Energy Disadvantages It takes around 15-20 years to
develop a single nuclear power plant The waste produced contains
unstable elements that are highly radioactive › The waste is very dangerous to the
environment as well as human health, and remains for thousands of years
Chernobyl Disaster The Chernobyl disaster
that occurred in 1986 in Ukraine was the worst nuclear power plant disaster. One of the nuclear reactors of the plant exploded, releasing high amounts of radiation in the environment. It resulted in thousands of deaths.